Speed or like indicating device



Dec, 9, 1924. I

B. BQNNIKSEN SPEED OR LIKE INDICATING DEVICE Flled Nov 16, 1922 PatentedDec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BAHNE BONNIKSEN, OF LEAMINGTON, ENGLAND.

'- SPEED OR LIKE INDICATING DEVICE.

Application filed. November 16, 1922. Serial No. 601,263. I

Leamington, in the county of Warwick, England, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Speed or like Indicating Devices, of whichthe following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to indicating devices for showing the speed of avehicle or the rotational speed of a machine, of the kind.

in which the indicating device is periodically connected with thedriving means for a definite interval of time which is controlled by anescapement deriving its maintaining power from the same driving means.The principal object of the present invention is to provide in aninstrumentof this kind, certain iimprovements, hereunder set forth,which will extend considerably its utility.

According to this invention, there is combined with an indicating deviceembodying escapement mechanism, a time counting mechanism which isconnected with the escapement, and thereby is adapted to show the totaltime during which the indicator has beeni'u operation, this representingalso the period or aggregate of the periods during which the vehicle ormachine has been in motion.

In this connection, I would make reference to my Patent 1,13&,369 fullydescribing the escapement mechanism and its operation in indicating thespeed of a vehicle.

Means are also provided for re-setting the counting mechanism to Zero,and thus it is possible readily to register daily the number of workinghours of the vehicle or machine.

'herc the indicator is provided with a distance register, or arevolution counter, it will be evident that distance or revolutions canbe read directly against time occupied, so that average speed orrevolutions can be obtained by a simple calculation. Such registeringmeans usually have combined with them a device for re-setting to zero,and a further feature of the present invention is the employment of suchan existing device to re-set the time counter also, or alternatively toprovide a device which will re-set both counters and thus avoid the useof extraneous parts.

The manner of carrying out the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows the face of a speedindicator for use on a vehicle, the casing and bezel having been removedfor clearness.

Figure 2, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, is a front view of themechanism with the dial and pointers or hands removed to showthe timeand the distance (or equivalent) counting trains in their normalrelationship.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 except that the two countingtrains are brought into operative connection. for re-setting purposes,and

Figure et is afragmentary sectional side view of the instrument showingthe re-setting mechanism.

The dial A of the instrument is graduated at i 2 in miles per hour, andindications thereon are made by the pointers A A", which periodicallyand in turn, under the control of the escapement, are engaged with thedriving means, the arrangement being such that, as shown in Figure 1,one pointer is inoperative at zero while the other is temporarily lockedin the indicating position. At A is a mileage counter showing the totalnumber of miles run, and at A is a trip counter adapted to show the daysrun or the distance covered by a journey, and provided with the usualmeans for re-setting to zero, which later will be more particularlyreferred to.

The time counting device, forming the principal feature of the presentinvention, is indicated at A and conveniently takes the form common totime-pieces in being provided with hour and minute hands and having arange of twelve hours. It is to be understood, however, that theinvention is not limited to this arrangement, and alternatively, thedial might be decimally arranged to show hours and decimals thereof, thenumber around the dial then preferably being ten instead of twelve.

In Figures 2 and 3 the dial is removed and the mechanism is shownmounted upon and between the plates B B The balance wheel of theescapement mechanism acting in the well-known manner is indicated at C,and at D is the spindle carrying the escape Ill wheel which iscontrolled by the balance and is driven in the manner already referredto. At E is shown the spindle carrying the minute hand of the dial A andthis is driven from the escapement spindle 1) through the train ofgearing D D D, D, D D D and D, the employment of this train forming theprincipal feature of the invention. The wheel D is co-a-xially mountedupon the spindle E and is in frictional driving engagement with thecannon pinion E fixed to the spindle E. The cannon pinion E engages thewheel 1* carrying fast with" .it the pinion F engaging with the wheel Eco-axially mounted with the spindle l), and carrying the hour hand ofthe dial A this arrangement forming the well known method of driving thehands of a time-piece and providing for their setting or alteration.

At H is shown the spindle which carries the distance counting pointer ofthe dial A, and this, with the train H H H and H, generally constitutesan existing train driven through the mechanism in conjunction with thecounter A. To extend its range of use fulness it is preferably providedwith two pointers or hands H, H co-axially mounted and actuated in amanner similar to the two hands of the time counter. The long hand H.records the units while the short hand H records the tens up to ahundred, the motion wheels (not shown) being of the appropriate ratiosfor the purpose. By the employment of suitable friction driving meanssimilar to that for the time counter, the hands 11, H can be re-set tozero by the usual mechanism provided for the purpose on the instrument.This, in the present example, is constituted by an operating button Lcarried by a spindle L which is rotatably supported in a sleeve Kcarried by a boss K on the outside of the instrument case K and shownparticularly in Figure 4. This spindle L carries a wheel L gearing witha wheel L fast with a wheel L within the case which engages with a wheelL fast upon the spindle H carrying the pointer for the trip mechanism.This provides means for re-setting the trip to zero, and the furtherfeature of the invention already referred to, is the provision of meansfor setting also the time counter to zero.

For this purpose a sliding plate J is provided which carries upon it awheel J constituting an idler and in engagement with the wheel H Anotheridler wheel G is in engagement with the wheel F of the time countingdevice and when the bar J is in the position shown in Figure 2 the twotrains are disconnected from one another. When moved to the positionshown in Figure 3 the idler wheels J and G bring the two trains intoengagement, and the operation of the button L enables. the time counterto be re-set to zero, after which the two trains are separated by movingthe bar J and the mileage counter can then be brought to zero also. Aspring J", secured to the plate B, acts upon the bar J to hold thewheels J and G normally out of engagement, and the bar is guided in itsmovements by screws J extending through slotted portions of the bar.

To provide simple means for moving the bar J. its outer extremity, atthe edge of the plate 13, is bevelled as at J, and mounted slidably onthe inner side of the -ase K is a bar M: adapted to slide in adirectioi'i parallel with the axis of the case, (that is, at rightangles to the bar J), and guided by a pin M and screw M extendingthrough slots formed in it. One end of this bar hfl is bevelled at M tobear upon the bevelled portion J" of the bar J so that movement of thebar M will cause a corres 'ionding movement of the bar J against theaction of the spring J" to bring the idle wheels J and (i intoengagement. To effect this in a simple manner the spindle L carrying thebutton if is axially slid-able in the sleeve K" and it operates aplunger M arranged parallel with it and bearing between the face of thewheel L, and a pin M projecting laterally from the bar M, a recess Kbeing provided in the boss K for freedom of movement of the pin M andthe plunger h sliding in a guide hole K7 provided for it in the boss K.

It will be seen that with the foregoing ar rangement the button L servesfor setting both counters to Zero and provides, by imparting an axialmovement to the spindle L, for the engagement of the two trains wit hone another. It will be observed that the width of the teeth of thewheels L and L is such that this axial moven'ient of the spindle L cantake place without throwing the wheels out of gear with one another.

it will be understood, that the invention is not limited to theparticular arrangement of the two coiiinting dials as illustrated andset forth above, and various slight modifications may be introducedwhich would add materially to the convenience of reading theinstrun'ieut. Thus, for example, the two dials might be so graduatedthat the position of the hour pointer and that of the mileage counterwould at all times be parallel to one another if a certain constantspeed were maintained. Thus, the dial A might have twenty divisionsaround it so that at a speed of twenty miles per hour the minute hand ofthe dial A would be always parallel with the pointer of the dial A.

In a further alternative the two dials A and A mightbe arrangedconcentrically with one another so that the time counter and thedistance counter could be co-axially mounted, the pointers beingsuitably distinguished from one another by their colouring or form.Then, if arranged to move at equal speeds around the dial for a certainspeed of the vehicle, it will be evident that any diiference of positionwould show at a glance a deviation from the desired speed.

It will be evident that the invention provides in a very simple mannerfor showing the whole period during which a vehicle has been in motion,and enables the average speed for a journey or series of journeys to bevery easily calculated.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is 1. In an indicating mechanism having time anddistance counters and escapement' mechanism controlling the same, thecom bination of means for resetting the distance counter to zero andmeans for connecting at will the time counter with said resetting means.

2. In an indicating mechanism having time and distance counters andescapement mechanism controlling the same, the combination of means forresetting the distance counter to zero and means whereby the drivingtrain of the distance counter can be shifted so as to bring one elementthereof into engagement with the train of the time counter, whereby thelatter can also be reset to zero by said re-setting means.

3. In an indicating mechanism having time and distance counters andescapement mechanism controlling the same, the combination of means forresetting the distance counter to zero, said means comprising an axiallymovable rotatable spindle, a slide carrying an idler gear in mesh withthe driving train of the distance counter, and means controlled by theaxial movement of said spindle for moving said slide to bring said idlerinto mesh with the train oi the time counter, whereby both counters arereset by the same means.

In testimony whereof vI have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

BAHNE BONNIKSEN.

Witnesses:

J OHN ARKLE, EVA COLLIER.

